Restorative Practices Specialist

Restorative Justice Specialist

RESPONSIBILITIES

SUMMARY Assist with the school wide implementation of strategies and programs designed to improve school culture by building healthy relationships; increase social capital; reduce the impact of harm, decrease antisocial behavior, and repair harm; and restore relationships.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Provide ongoing technical support and consultation for staff members on Restorative Practices.

Integrate Restorative Practices into school culture and climate, including alignment with other school initiatives.

Assist school teams in enhancing intervention frameworks.

Curate and share educational materials for classroom teachers.

Collaborate with district supports to evaluate restorative practices implementation.

Create and execute school-wide restorative practices implementation plans.

Support students and teachers inside the classroom through observation, coaching, and modeling restorative language; debriefing with both teachers and individual students.

Monitor individual student behavior by checking in with students throughout the school day.

Facilitate mediations in response to conflict: among students; between educators and students; among educators; between family members and an educator; and among groups of students, educators, or family members.

Follow through after mediations to ensure the harm was repaired.

Develop creative interventions for students as part of the restorative resolution.

Inform families, educators, and administrators about incidents in school as needed, with the assistance of the Behavior Team.

Organize data to inform Behavior Team of any negative trends in school climate.

Push into classrooms to build relationships with students and teachers.

Organize school data to inform staff of any positive trends in school climate.  Gather testimonials of Restorative Practices success stories to improve staff and community buy-in.

Circulate the building to build and foster relationships with students and educators.

Use peace circles to build a sense of community.

Cultivate advocates for Restorative Practices in educators, students, families, and community members.

Advocate for educators and students, especially in Behavior Team meetings.

Communicate with the community about the restorative work being done in the building.

Establish an avenue for educators and students to express concerns about the process.

Provide ongoing Restorative Practices professional development to staff.

Observe staff and provide frequent, non-evaluative feedback.

Offer training to families in Restorative Practices so a common language is being used at home.

Teach students techniques for resolving conflict.

Coach students and educators on how to participate in a meaningful restorative conversation.

Perform other duties as assigned.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EXPERIENCE A minimum of 3 years experience working with schools and related system partners on Restorative Practices implementation or programming preferred. Direct experience designing and facilitating Restorative Circles and Restorative Conferences in an educational setting.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING Formal Restorative Practices training required.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS - Social Work, Counseling or Behavioral Health degree or certification preferred.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, & EQUIPMENT Strong foundation in racial justice and equity framework for restorative practices. Requires strong oral communication, strong writing, interpersonal, phone etiquette, computer and office software; and general office equipment at time of hire. Have the ability to interact well with schools, district leadership, families, students and outside agencies. Requires advanced level of training in area of specialty. Ability to speak and communicate in Spanish is a plus.

DECISION MAKING Work is diversified and may require detailed analysis to determine practical courses of action. This analysis may involve modification of guidelines. Decision making requires independent judgment, strategic planning, and global thinking to assist in providing program direction. Standards for decision making are not defined and errors in decision making could result in substantial embarrassment or cost to the District, and/or compromise student safety and the learning environment.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS Daily contact with persons within/outside department/building, students, parents, general public, and partner agencies. Contacts may involve somewhat sensitive matters involving problems and/or highly confidential information or data.

SPAN OF CONTROL This position serves as a resource to central and other building personnel regarding best practices in Restorative Practices.

EDUCATIONAL DELIVERY Facilitate presentations and education to professionals, students, and families related to Restorative Practices.

COMPLEXITY OF WORK Work is assigned primarily by school Principal. Duties are diversified and complex, and cross several areas regarding student conduct. Work requires this person to coordinate with district departments, county agencies, and community partners. Work requires a strong understanding of District policies and procedures and governing statutes. Duties and actions impact others across the district and county.

The physical demands, mental functions, and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers to handle, and feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.

MENTAL FUNCTIONS The noise level in the work environment is moderate and may be noisy/chaotic at times. This employee is required to work in a variety of schools and office settings.

WORK ENVIRONMENT While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate and use interpersonal skills. The employee is frequently required to analyze, coordinate, compile, evaluate, synthesize, and compute. The employee is occasionally required to copy, instruct, and negotiate.

SALARY Per the Restorative Justice Salary Schedule